As I mentioned in an earlier column the decade leading up to and the years of war, encompassing the American civil war; had anglers retreating back to the east and north to Canada. After the war there would be a boom in angling interest and expiration, but before we get to that, there were two facets of North American angling that evolved during the prewar period: North American Saltwater Fly Fishing and the North American Angling Clubs. We will cover saltwater angling first.

V C Smith’s book, Natural History of the Fishes of Massachusetts, published in 1833; was one of the first to cover saltwater fly fishing. In the following passage from his book Smith mention fly fishing for sea-run brook trout.

“…on the 24th of March , three trout, which together weighed eight and a quarter pounds – two of them approaching very nearly to three pounds each.”

While Smith opened the door to writing of North American Salt Water Fly Fishing, the sport was still dominated by the British until, Frank Forester, and Robert Barnwell Roosevelt began promoting the facet of North American Fly Fishing.

“The fly to use is any of the large salmon flies, the larger and gaudier the better. None is more taking than an orange body with peacock and bluejay wings and black hackle legs; but any of the well-known salmon flies will secure him…”

Three years later during the war years, in 1862, Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, wrote of his technique, in his book, Game Fish of the North.

“The most scientific and truly sportsmanlike mode of taking striped bass must be admitted to be with the fly; which, unfortunately, can only be done in brackish or fresh water. Like salmon, they will not take the fly in salt creeks and bays, and thus, though the sport is excellent, it is confined to few localities… Fly–fishing may be done... in a strong current with the common bass rod, by working your fly on top of the water… The best fly is that with the scarlet ibis and white feathers…”